Feeding Horse Grain

On Horse Grain inparticular and with somebearing on rabbits :
I remember back yearsago my Mom telling me how Black Strapmollasses was often given toPregnant women who were Iron deficient , With thebelief that it would bolsterthe iron level and make for a heathier pregnency. Horse Grain and Cow grain wasalso covered in Black Strap , ( they rarely usethis product anymore , but it can still be bought ). Todays horse grain is made from alighter molasses mixture but stillhas some of the same Iron bolstering abilities .Not taking away the HighSugar content ,

So where is this going , well Ihave to wonder if the Iron content of themolasses isnt part of the digestionproblem with rabbits, And withKidney disease and failures , along withthe excess sugars. High Iron content does one of 2things either contstipates or loosens. Excess minerals and vitamins not neededhave to pass through the kidneys possiblyclogging up passage ways .

High or low Iron levels wreak havockon animal and human systems .And combined together withSugars it would makethe effect doubled , Sorry this is solong , I was thinking out loadand was wondering what others mighthavefor an opinion on it .

 

[pamnock]

The sweet feeds for horses have an average of40% sugar. Way to high to consider feeding this to rabbitswhen we have so many better/safer options. If a rabbit goesinto stasis, the bacterias that feed on sugars willproliferate. This high sugar content can also lead to bladderinfections.

Pam

 

I agree Pam withnew products and old out there for better feedingof rabbits there isnt as much needor want to use horse grain ,But I am still curious over theIron content and what it couldpossibly do to the Kidneys ?Any thoughts ?

 

[pamnock]

The liver, heart and pancreas (as well as otherorgans) can be damaged by excessive iron, which can be fatal.Diarrhea and intestinal damage can also occur in overdoses.The iron in the horse grain is not likely to overdose a rabbit unlessit has a metabolic disorder. It would more likely be seen incases of iron injections or long term iron supplements.

There have been studies done showing the circulatory damage rabbitssuffer from high amounts of iron. Excessive iron has alsobeen shown to suppress the immune system, increasing chances ofinfection.



Pam

 

[pamnock]

I happened to think of a family I knew years agothat inherited a rabbit along with the purchase of their newhome. They raised horses, so fed the rabbit sweet feed thatthey had for their horses. I had cared for their animalswhile they were on vacation (this was approx. 10 years ago) and the NewZealand rabbit did not appear to be suffering any ill effects from thediet of sweet feed.



Pam

 

pamnock wrote:

Ihappened to think of a family I knew years ago that inherited a rabbitalong with the purchase of their new home. They raisedhorses, so fed the rabbit sweet feed that they had for theirhorses. I had cared for their animals while they were onvacation (this was approx. 10 years ago) and the New Zealand rabbit didnot appear to be suffering any ill effects from the diet of sweet feed.



Pam

It does make you wonder , If ananimal is brought up or used to such a typeof feed if it would actuallydoas much damage as apposedto one who is newly introduced to it . I would thinkthe excess sugar wouldwreak havock on an unsuspecting system ,

I still have my reservations of Addingsweet mix to their feedeven though theAngoras are used to it . I did wean them offthe mixThe lady had them on, It just didnt look as healthy as Iwould like . Where as I feed a Qualityfeed and back it up witha sprinkle of Calf Manna , or the eqaul ofit when Manna isnt availabe. Idont feel mine need it , plusthey have tons of hay which Iamconstantly pulling from their wool andfaces lol .

When I was Raising and Showinghorses ,and Doing Rescue ,I know myfavorite part of horse grain other thanthe smell was to nip a pieceof corn smothered in molasess ,( dontask, Imweird ok ) ,

I also got to thinking of theIron content in Sweet feed , and Ironnaturallyoccuring in well water, I know My well water is veryhigh in Iron content ,not high enough to contaminateand shut down the well , butit is present just the same. Your comment on Ironinjections got me wondering ifdrinking water that has a relativehigh content would have the same effect, mine get bottled water becauseof the Iron content , we donteven drink it , and is only use for dishes , shower andlaundry .